Tracking Metrics of Success Other Than Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss or bariatric surgery, most patients are squarely focused on how much they expect to lose after surgery or how much they have lost since their procedure. No matter how much we tell them that weight loss surgery is, in the end, a way to improve their overall health and particularly the conditions associated with excess weight and obesity, total weight loss is the most straightforward measure of success. However, once patients have gotten past the excitement of their initial and often rapid weight loss, it’s important to start changing tack and understanding the other metrics for success after bariatric surgery. These will, of course, be different for every patient. Still, generally speaking, there are several milestones that we want to see our patients hit over the first several months to two years after their surgical procedure.

Blood Work

Blood work is one of the critical components in understanding how well you are doing from a health standpoint after your procedure. Most patients with significant excess weight or obesity have co-occurring risk factors that manifest in their blood work. Most commonly, patients will be told that they have high cholesterol, which is also known as hyperlipidemia. This is unrelated to the amount of dietary cholesterol they consume but shows the amount of fat circulating in the blood. This can start clogging arteries, cause atherosclerosis, and eventually significant coronary heart disease. A substantial reduction in cholesterol is a very positive development for heart health.

Similarly, we measure sugar in the blood using a simple blood test. Elevated fasting blood sugar levels often show pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes in patients carrying excess weight. Usually, bariatric surgery, and especially gastric bypass, can put diabetes into remission within days or weeks of surgery. This 1-2 punch shows significant progress and may even be our most critical metric for improved health.

Waist Size

We all have different body shapes and contours. Some of us are more muscular than others, so it’s tough to standardize any bodily measure, including waist size. However, recent research into the deficiencies associated with the BMI or body mass index, which almost every weight loss practice uses to determine eligibility for bariatric surgery, has shown that waist circumference may be a better predictor for heart health than BMI. Women with a waist size greater than 35 inches and men with a waist size over 40 inches are at a significantly higher risk for heart disease because of bad visceral fat, which accumulates around the abdomen.

What You See in the Mirror

While we may be genuinely focused on the health benefits of bariatric surgery, there’s no doubt that how we feel about ourselves after surgery also makes a big difference. This dovetails with mental health; ultimately, the combination of physical and psychological health leads to better and better results in the future. If you regularly look in the mirror and like what you see, at least slowly liking yourself more and more, we consider this an important win as we march toward weight loss surgery success. Remember, you may not like every bit of you from day one, but slowly point out what you like about yourself each week, and you’ll find the list growing. This is a great way to keep tabs on your progress and be reasonable with your expectations.

Your Social Life

How you interact with others at work and after hours is a critical piece of a bigger mental health puzzle. Often, patients with excess weight and obesity find themselves pulling away from social situations out of discomfort or embarrassment. As they begin to lose weight, they frequently rejoin groups of friends and improve their lives immeasurably. Managing or eliminating these depressive and anxious symptoms improves mental health, which in turn improves physical health and allows patients to lose more weight and be more successful over the long term.

Relationships With Intimate Partners

Once again, delving into the mental health ramifications of excess weight and obesity, many patients with excess weight withdraw from intimate time with their partners. After bariatric surgery and newfound confidence in their body, they may be ready to enjoy a more active and mutually beneficial intimate life. Intimacy has incredible mental health benefits, which translates into better longer-term weight loss and maintenance.

For Women of Childbearing Age

Anyone who has carried excess weight and had difficulty conceiving knows that hormonal imbalances associated with excess weight and obesity can cause infertility. Many patients who have cleared the two-year mark and reached an appropriate weight and plateau may finally be able to conceive. We are so proud to have dozens of bariatric babies in our practice family, at least partly, from surgeries we’ve performed over the years.

Weight Loss

While we specifically excluded weight loss as a measure of success for this article, there’s no doubt that it carries great importance in the average patient’s mind. As such, we will certainly not discount its importance. We just want to impress on our patients that it should not be the be-all and end-all measure of success. Weight loss will plateau, probably several times, over the two years after your bariatric procedure. However, this is no reason to be discouraged. All the above metrics are arguably as or even more critical in understanding and appreciating that you have been successful.

Importantly, if you are struggling with your weight loss or believe that you aren’t reaching your goals in the time you’d expect, we want you to contact our office or bring it up during one of your post-operative bariatric checkups. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you haven’t hit your goals. That’s the whole reason why we have a comprehensive postoperative care program and why we tell you that we are here not just for surgery and the few months before and after, but we are your partners for life!